Monday, August 10 - Saturday, August 15, 2015: here I am again - legally driving on Mexicos roads :-)

Monday morning, after I got over the initial shock (and though it was a rather special "Motel" I had slept just fine) I drove through the Baja California's inland towards Ensenada. And there they are again – this endless width: the Baja California, in short terms explained: salt lakes, mountains, hills, some fine wine regions, some quite large plantations (tomatoes, onions and ? everything else well hidden in covered greenhouses) and all the rest: kilometer after kilometer desert in red , desert in yellow, desert in white, cacti of all shapes and sizes ....

 

 

I was totally happy that I had decided to stay a little outside of Ensenada; Ensenada an absolute tourist destination, packed with tourist shops. I had booked during the coming days (my problem either solved or me leaving the country again), in Hostel "Sauzal" in the village with the same name. Maria, the owner, has her hostel rightly nicknamed "Hostel Sauzal - a Baja California getaway". Small (only 8 beds), 2 showers & 2 toilets. But absolutely beautiful, cozy, quiet, well furnished with stunning views of the sea and an unbeatable sunset. She totally personally and also the two dogs (primarily the social Bandido) have looked good for her guests ;-)

 

On Tuesday I started to get rid of my problem: get in touch with my Suzuiki-Mechanical in Switzerland to find out what regarding unregistered motorcycle could be done. Which he also could absolutely not explain and had in turn begun to anticipate with Suzuki Switzerland. Me on the other hand also tried to get all social channels involved with the idea that the more know about my problem the better the chance to find a solution. And frankly: it felt really good to realize how many people care and at least mentally supported me.

By Thursday, however, no solution was in sight, Japan Suzuki did not answer at all to the request from Suzuki Switzerland. I changing between being totally frustrated, being scared what if and simply being angry about the mistake some .......!!!  had made.

I had to mobilise all my energy to do and think of something else. So on Wednesday I took my Suzy and went on a trip discovering around Ensenada and later on went to the beach just for relaxing. And it has done well. The next day the same again for "sunbathing and swimming", this time - as evidently all Mexican women did - in shorts and T-shirt instead of "only" in a bikini. Although a bit unusual to  swim in clothes, but I did attract the Mexicans attention already enough (and sure not only because I probably weighed half compared to most of them).

 

On Friday, finally an official letter from Suzuki Switzerland was sent by email, confirming that everything was ok with my bike. Not that it wasn’t from the beginning, but in the hope that the Mexican Customs would then “soften” to give me a temporary permit (and as Suzuki Japan still did not even had reacted on the request). So I went ahead, printed the letter in the next Internet Cafe and drove the 90km to Tijuana. Left Mexico to the United States (with passport control) and immediately re-entered (again without passport control). Only this time I knew what I had to do. Parked my Suzy at the place "I've got something to declare" and went directly to the counter in charge for the permits. Again a totally friendly customs officer - who thanks to God spoke quite good English. I explained him the whole matter, presented him all my documents. While he typed everything into the system, we did practiced together German-Spanish (he the words in German, me in Spanish). Since my serial number's still not registered, he had finally to make a phone call with the relevant office to be allowed to get over that one step of VIN-number. Et voilà: I had the temporary permit to be now legally on the roads of Mexico for the next 175 days. Honestly, I would have liked to kiss the good man. But after always a military standing with his machine gun nearby, I just dropped that idea and instead overjoyed drove back to my hostel. And out of sheer joy forgot to fuel up!; after I had already turned the fuel tap on reserve, some 40km later there was still no gas station in sight. I asked at a Minimarket, where the next gas station would be and drove on, hoping that the little I still could see in the tank would be sufficient for about 5km. No way: after 2km the motor stopped. Thanks god I had the idea to turn on the second fuel tap to ”reserve” (luckily because of the big tank I had 2 fuel taps).  And I actually did just make it to the gas station. I guess that I would have made it for a max. 1-2km more. Stupid girl!! Well, but now at least I know that a full tank lasts for min. 497.6km J

Back at the hostel I started to organise the upcoming days: down the Baja California, take the ferry to Mexico’s mainland.

So now I am happy driving again on the roads of Baja California and pass the sporadically coming up military controls with a big smile on my face – ok…. I am not sure if I still would be that confident in case they would really stop me!?

At this point I would like to thank to all those who have mentally and above all, of course, really supported me in this situation from afar. Above all, Christof Müller (Müller 2Rad in Emmen) and Frankonia, the general importer of Suzuki Switzerland. Without them I would by now had gone back to in the USA.
It is good to know that although traveling solo – I never travel alone ;-)

Hasta luego, mi amigos :-)